A time to Reflect, Rejuvenate,

Louise Hay Daily Affirmation Cards

and start setting goals for the year ahead. I always get reflective at this time of year. Christmas is over with a big sigh of relief, sad I know but with 3 kids and a big family it can be overwhelming and then when its finally come and gone there is that thought of "I can so wait for another year before doing this again." Anyway Christmas aside, here we are at the ending of another year and on the horizon the beginning of a new one. The thought of a fresh new year excites me, I'm not sure why but maybe it has to do with new beginnings and an opporunity to start fresh.


If you have been scrapbooking for a while and are familiar with all the scrap blogs then you would be familiar with Ali Edwards tradition of choosing a word for the year. If not you can head over to her blog post here about one little word . Now I know we have a few days to go but I have already begun thinking of what word I might choose. I am a bit hesitant to let go of this years word because I feel I have really embraced it and still have more work to do on it, maybe however it is a lifetime of work an ongoing process. My word for this year was "EMPOWER" I printed this word in huge font and stuck it on the wall in front of my work desk. I researched a meaning for this word one that resonated with me and also printed that underneath. The definition I found suited me perfectly. Here it is

Empower "An individual's assertion of personal power, energy, force and strength in all fields: spiritual, physical, emotional and magical...."

This year I have made lots of changes and am really proud of them. Amongst some of my achievements have been growing my business, losing 10 kgs, commiting to going to the gym 3 - 4 times a week and actually achieving it, eating healthy, monitoring my thoughts, words and actions and making a real effort to choose them wisely, increasing my confidence and self esteem which really was a result of all the other things that came before it, being more patient with the kids and really trying to be present with them and give them all individual attention (still working on this one). Most of all believing in myself that I can achieve anything I put my mind to and not letting the negative self talk creep in which it so often tries to.

I believe when you choose a word it gives you somewhere to put your focus for the year. If you begin the year with a wishy washy intention you will get wishy washy resuts. Begin the year with a clear dominent intent of the person you want to become and see yourself already being that person. Choose your word and each time you need that motivation in life you remember that word, each time you have an achievement no matter how small you remember that word. Print out that word and its definition and put it somewhere prominent that you look at everyday. Your subconscious will absorb the word. Create a vision board with all the things you want to achieve, a healthy body, abundance, a perfect partner, a new job, a child, happiness, self esteem, whatever it is for you.

Never ever let yourself loose focus, look at your word each day and affirm it or create an affirmation for it. For example I could have created the affirmation for the word empower that goes something like this " I now live an empowered life filled with joy, love, health and abundance." You can make up any affirmation you wish, but it must be in the present tense like you are already doing or achieving it.

I have gone on a bit longer than I had intended but I hope I have motivated you all to choose a word. I will be pondering my new word for the next few days. Along with this I will do a big clean out of my home and declutter everything that is crowding my space that no longer serves me and making room for new experiences to enter my life. New Year resolutions as they are so often called end up falling by the wayside because your focus is on a list which is often long and unachieveable and so you just give up before you even make a start. Just choose one thing that will embrace it all and remember baby steps. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." The Way of Lao-tzu Chinese philosopher

Enjoy choosing your word, its actually a lot of fun!!

Anna xx